Multi-purpose retail display merchandising cabinet with detachable cooling system

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity is provided. An insulated case defines an internal product display area. The internal display area can be non-refrigerated and may only use a detachable fan cooling cartridge to maintain the ambient room temperature inside the internal product display area. Alternatively, the cavity can become refrigerated when a detachable refrigerated cooling cartridge is used to refrigerate the internal display area, thus allowing the cabinet to be easily and interchangeably used as either a dry goods cabinet for non-refrigerated goods or as a refrigerator for refrigerated goods.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/269,387, filed Dec. 18, 2015, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention generally relates to retail display merchandising cabinets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose retail display merchandising cabinet having a detachable cooling system.

Within retail establishments, it is very common that multiple retail display cabinets and refrigerators are placed adjacent to one another. Such retail display cabinets and refrigerators are often self-standing units that are placed next to each other, such as along a wall or along the aisles of a store. In many cases, however, the display cabinets and refrigerators are installed within a trimmed wall insertion, or inserted into a customized kiosk or other type of customized structure so as to maximize space availability and/or be visually appealing to customers.

When display cabinets and refrigerators are installed within a wall insertion or within a customized framing structure, their mobility is restricted, and accessibility to their component parts such as their side and back walls and the like is also limited. In many such cases, portions of the trim or parts of the structure are required to be disabled or removed in order to reposition the cabinet or refrigerator or to gain access to parts of the cabinet or refrigerator, such as during service, repairs or the like.

Currently, retail display merchandising cabinets are not able to store goods which require refrigeration or freezing. Instead, dedicated refrigerator units serve this purpose. As such, repositioning non-refrigerated goods with respect to refrigerated goods and their cabinets can be very complicated and expensive.

For example, in the automated store outlet described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/321,573, a plurality of bays are provided in which the customer can access and purchase refrigerated and non-refrigerated goods in respectively dedicated refrigerated and non-refrigerated cabinets. However, when reorganizing the placement of the refrigerated and non-refrigerated bays or cabinets with respect to one another and/or adding refrigerated or non-refrigerated bays, simplification is needed.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a multi-purpose retail cavity which can serve as a non-refrigerated retail display merchandising cabinet as well as be modifiable to include a cooling system and to hold refrigerated goods. Such a multi-purpose display cavity would resolve the issues associated with converting and replacing non-refrigerated cabinets with refrigerated cabinets, and vice versa. It would provide a great deal of flexibility to retailers, including those utilizing the automated store outlet discussed above. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity which, for example, can be used in connection with non-refrigerated and dry goods applications, but can also easily be changed and used as a refrigerated unit for storing goods that need to be refrigerated and/or frozen or the like. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention allows a retail establishment's operator to choose and conveniently allocate the use of such cavities, particularly when they are installed in a trimmed wall insertion, or inserted into a customized kiosk or other type of customized structure. Instead of having to remove and replace a non-refrigerated cabinet with a refrigerated cabinet, or vice versa, the use of the universal cavity allows the operator to make that change easily. The operator can conveniently choose to use each cavity as either a refrigerated cabinet for refrigerated goods or as a non-refrigerated cabinet for goods that do not require refrigeration, as needed. Such selection by the operator can be easily implemented and will be more fully described herein. A fan cartridge may also be installed in a dry good cavity to keep moderate temperature within the cavity and to avoid product melting.

Accordingly, a multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity is provided including a case having a product display area within the case, a cooling cartridge insertion slot attached to the case, and a case air vent extending from within the product display area of the case into the cooling cartridge insertion slot. The cooling cartridge insertion slot is configured to removably receive a cooling cartridge, which may comprise either a refrigerated cooling cartridge or a fan cartridge. The cooling cartridge includes a cartridge air vent configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate cooled air into the product display area. Thus, the cavity is adapted to serve as a refrigerated unit upon insertion of the cooling cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot, and to serve as a dry goods cabinet upon removal of the cooling cartridge from the cooling cartridge insertion slot or upon insertion of the fan cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot.

Moreover, a plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities are provided including a plurality of cases disposed adjacent to each other each having a product display area within the case, a plurality of cooling cartridge insertion slots individually attached to each case, and a plurality of case air vents each extending from within the product display area of each case into each cooling cartridge insertion slot. Each cooling cartridge insertion slot is configured to removably receive a cooling cartridge, which may comprise either a refrigerated cooling cartridge or a fan cartridge. Each cooling cartridge includes a cartridge air vent which is configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate cooled air into the product display area. Thus, each cavity is adapted to selectively serve as a refrigerated unit upon insertion of the refrigerated cooling cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot, and to selectively serve as a dry goods cabinet upon removal of the cooling cartridge from the cooling cartridge insertion slot or insertion of the fan cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot.

These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of FIG. 1, illustrating a lower portion of the cavity having a cartridge air vent or duct extending from an internal product display area of the cavity.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cooling system cartridge attachable to the multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of FIG. 1, which can serve as a refrigeration cartridge including a compressor, condenser, evaporator, fans, blowers and other refrigeration components, or as a fan cartridge including only one or more fans.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of FIG. 1 in which the cooling system cartridge has been attached to the cabinet.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of FIG. 1 with attached cooling system cartridge further including shelves, which can be solid or wire.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities with attached cooling system cartridges placed adjacent to one another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, which are provided for purposes of illustration and by way of example, and with reference now to FIG. 1, a multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity 100 embodying the present invention is provided. The cavity 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown without shelving, a door, lighting or other accessories, but any or all of these features may be used with the cavity 100. The cavity 100 includes an insulated, insolated refrigerator case 102 which defines an internal product display area 104. The walls of the case 102, or at least an internal lining thereof, are insulated for use as a refrigerated unit, when desired.

A door (not shown) may be attached to the case 102 to access goods when the cavity 100 is used as a refrigerated unit to prevent any cold air from exiting the internal display area 104 and to maintain the internal display area 104 at a desired temperature. Moreover, when the cavity 100 of the present invention is used in association with a computer-controlled, unattended automated checkout store outlet system, as disclosed for example, in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/912,006 and 14/321,573, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, a normally locked door will typically be attached to the case 102 to prevent unauthorized access to the contents within the display area 104. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that shelves can be installed in the product display area 104 as well as lights, marketing elements, signage, temperature sensors, etc. as needed and desired.

With continuing reference to FIG. 1, the cavity 100 includes a cooling cartridge insertion slot 106 into which a cooling system cartridge can be removably inserted and attached. The cooling cartridge insertion slot 106 is typically disposed at a lower portion of the cabinet 100, such as immediately below the internal display area 104, although it is not limited to such an arrangement. Rails 108 attached to the cooling cartridge insertion slot may be used to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cooling cartridge unit. Alternatively, the cooling cartridge may be installed on the top of the case 102 when the local facility's height allows and/or when the such setup may be desirable.

With reference now to FIG. 2, a case air vent 109 or baffle having air channel openings 110 extends from within the internal display area 104 and into the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106. This vent 109 with air channel openings 110 can be used to circulate air through the internal display area 104. The configuration of such vents and the connection methods between the vents and the cooling cartridge may vary as known to those of skill in the art. Such connection is particularly desirable when a cooling cartridge unit is attached to the case 102 in order to supply cooled air to the internal display area 104. However, the air channel vent and openings can also be used to circulate air when the cavity 100 is used as a non-refrigerated cabinet to keep fresh air within the cabinet, to control odors, and to circulate cool ambient air within the cabinet to maintain the state of the goods disposed therein. For example, there are consumable goods which do not require refrigeration but can become undesirable if overheated, such as chocolate candies or other items capable of melting. Without air circulation, these goods could be negatively impacted. A fan in a full size cooling cartridge, or in any other configuration, could be incorporated into the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106 relative to the air vent 109 in order to assure proper ventilation and passage of fresh air into the cavity 100, even when the cavity is not utilized as a refrigerator.

With reference now to FIG. 3, a cooling system unit or cartridge 112 used in accordance with the present invention is shown. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cooling cartridge 112 is a self-contained unit having internal parts and components, such as a compressor, condenser, and evaporator (all not shown) to operate as a refrigeration system. The cooling cartridge 112 may include other electronic circuitry and components as needed, such as a blower, thermostat, visual status display indicators, and the like. When a cavity 100 is to be used as a refrigerated cabinet, the refrigerated cooling cartridge 112 is inserted into the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106 and powered by means of plugging in electrical cord 114 into a local power outlet within or outside the cavity, or to any other power supply, for example. The case air vent 109 of the cavity is coupled to a corresponding cartridge air vent or duct 115 of the cooling cartridge 112 so that air can be circulated between the cooling cartridge 112 and the internal display area 104. Typically, the cooling cartridge includes multiple vents or air channel openings, including air outlet 116 and air inlets 117, to enable the circulation of cooled air into the internal display area 104 of the cavity 100, and of warmer air to be recirculated back into the cooling cartridge 112 for cooling. Such air circulation generally continues until the temperature inside the display area 104 lowers to a predetermined degree, and then restarts when the temperature becomes greater than the predetermined degree.

In an alternative embodiment of the cooling cartridge 112 shown in FIG. 3, the cooling cartridge does not operate as a refrigeration system, but rather serves as a fan cartridge 112′ including air inlet vents or fan openings 118 which may be positioned in the front of the cartridge or in any other position for drawing in and blowing local ambient air into the cavity to cool the display area 104. The fan cooling cartridge may also include an exhaust fan 120 to exhaust the heated air created inside the display area 104 to the outside of the cavity 100.

With reference now to FIG. 4, when an installed cavity 100 is used as a refrigerator unit, the refrigerated cooling cartridge 112 is inserted into the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106, the cooling cartridge is connected to a local electrical outlet or any power supply, and the air vents and ducts 109 and 115 are properly connected to one another as needed. When the installed cavity 100 is used as a dry good cabinet, the fan cooling cartridge 112′ is inserted into the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106, the fan cartridge is connected to an electrical outlet or any power supply, and the air vents and ducts 109 and 115 are properly connected to one another as needed. It will be appreciated that the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106 may be covered with a decorative grill or the like to conceal the cooling cartridge 112. A front door may also be affixed to the front of the case 102. Shelves 122 or any other type of support for the goods (see FIG. 5) can also be installed inside of the internal product display area 104. Although not shown, it will be understood that lights, marketing elements and signage could also be installed inside or outside the cavity as desired.

When the cooling cartridge 112 is inserted into its slot or compartment 106, its cooled air output is tightly engaged with the intake/supply duct or vent 109 of the case 102, and when the cooling system is powered on, cooled air from the cooling cartridge 112 is transferred into the internal product display area 104 of the case 102. The air circulates, either continuously or as needed, between the cooling cartridge 112 and the product display area 104 via the air vents 115 and through the case's intake/supply duct 109. Additional fans may be installed to induce such air circulation. Thermostat controls may be installed to monitor and control the temperature inside the product display area 104, and to power on and off or otherwise adjust the cooling system of the cartridge 112 to maintain the desired temperature within the display unit 104.

As shown in the various drawings, the cavity unit 100 or case 102 may also include wheels 124, rollers, casters or the like which enable an individual cavity 100 to be easily transported from one location to another. This would facilitate, for example, the insertion or removal of a cavity unit 100 from within an installed trimmed wall insertion, a customized kiosk or structure, or the like. However, it is the convenient and easy access of the cooling cartridge insertion slot 106, into which a cooling cartridge 112 or 112′ can be easily attached or detached, which makes the use of the cavity 100 as either a refrigerated unit or a non-refrigerated unit particularly desirable.

With reference now to FIG. 6, a plurality of cavities 100 can be used as self-standing units, as illustrated, or installed inside a trimmed wall insertion or customized kiosk or structure to display retail goods. Although all of the cavities 100 in FIG. 6 are illustrated as having a cooling cartridge 112 associated therewith, and thus serve for purposes of this illustration as refrigerated units, it will be understood that any of the cooling cartridges can be powered off or even removed, and a particular cavity 100 may be used as a non-refrigerated cabinet for goods. Such cooling cartridges thus may either be refrigerated cooling cartridges 112 or fan cooling cartridges 112′. Therefore, the illustrated and exemplary arrangement of five adjacent cavity units 100 could be varied to form any numerical combination of refrigerated and non-refrigerated cabinets, as desired by the retailer or operator, without having to physically move the cavity units 100.

The operator can conveniently choose to use each cavity 100 as a non-refrigerated or dry goods display cabinet, or alternatively as a refrigerator display unit. If at any time, the operator chooses to change the use of a refrigerator display unit, he or she can simply remove the refrigerated cooling cartridge 112 and turn the refrigerator into a dry goods or non-refrigerated display cabinet, or vice versa, and optionally attach a fan cooling cartridge 112′. When a refrigerator unit breaks down, the operator can simply replace the cooling cartridge and restore the refrigerator without the need to disable any part of the surrounding trim or structure.

When the multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities of the present invention are installed in an automated store outlet, as described in the co-pending patent applications mentioned above, the customized trays, wiring, product detection system and other electronic components may be installed inside the product display area 104 to provide the unique functions of the automated store outlet. As mentioned above, each cavity case 102 will typically have a door affixed thereto to prevent unauthorized access to the goods therein. The use of the cavity of the present invention provides flexibility to easily change such allocation between refrigerated and non-refrigerated bays or units, making the system very desirable. Additionally, the uniform look of all such progressive multi-purpose cavities, side-by-side, within a trimmed wall insertion, or within a customized kiosk, structure or automated store outlet, creates an attractive high-tech appearance and provides marketing advantages.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that, while particular forms of the invention have been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity comprising: a case including a product display area within the case; a cooling cartridge insertion slot attached to the case; and a case air vent extending from within the product display area of the case into the cooling cartridge insertion slot; wherein the cooling cartridge insertion slot is configured to removably receive a cooling cartridge, the cooling cartridge including a cartridge air vent which is configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate cooled air into the product display area; and wherein the cavity is adapted to serve as a refrigerated unit upon insertion of the cooling cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot, and wherein the cavity is adapted to serve as a dry goods cabinet upon removal of the cooling cartridge from the cooling cartridge insertion slot.
 2. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cavity is configured to be installable within one of a trimmed wall insertion or a customized kiosk.
 3. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, further comprising shelving within the product display area.
 4. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cavity includes a door connected to the case which encloses the product display area.
 5. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cavity includes at least one of lighting, marketing elements, signage, and temperature sensors.
 6. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the case includes one of insulated walls or insulated lining.
 7. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cavity is configured to be installed in a computer-controlled, automated store outlet.
 8. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge insertion slot is disposed below the product display area.
 9. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge insertion slot is situated on top of the case.
 10. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, further comprising rails attached to the cooling cartridge insertion slot to facilitate insertion and removal of the cooling cartridge.
 11. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge is a refrigerated cooling cartridge including a compressor, condenser, and evaporator.
 12. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge includes at least one of a blower, thermostat, and visual status display indicators.
 13. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge includes an electrical cord for providing power to the cooling cartridge.
 14. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cartridge air vent comprises an air outlet and an air inlet.
 15. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge is configured to stop circulation of cooled air into the product display area when the temperature inside the product display area has reached a predetermined degree, and wherein the cooling cartridge is configured to restart circulation of cooled air into the product display area when the temperature inside the product display area has exceeded the predetermined degree.
 16. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge is a fan cartridge including a fan vent, the fan vent being configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate ambient air into the product display area, the cavity being adapted to serve as a dry goods cabinet upon insertion of the fan cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot.
 17. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 16, wherein the fan cartridge includes an exhaust fan to exhaust heated air from the product display area.
 18. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cooling cartridge insertion slot includes a decorative grill for concealing the cooling cartridge.
 19. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein the cavity includes thermostat controls for monitoring and adjusting the temperature within the product display area.
 20. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, further comprising wheels attached to the cavity to facilitate movement of the cavity.
 21. The multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity of claim 1, wherein if the cooling cartridge has failed, the cavity is restorable into a refrigerated unit only by replacement of the cooling cartridge.
 22. A multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavity comprising: a case including a product display area within the case; a cooling cartridge insertion slot attached to the case; a case air vent extending from within the product display area of the case into the cooling cartridge insertion slot; and a cooling cartridge removably received within the cooling cartridge insertion slot, the cooling cartridge including a cartridge air vent which is configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate cooled air into the product display area; wherein the cavity is adapted to serve as a refrigerated unit upon insertion of the cooling cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot, and wherein the cavity is adapted to serve as a dry goods cabinet upon removal of the cooling cartridge from the cooling cartridge insertion slot.
 23. A plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities comprising: a plurality of cases disposed adjacent to each other, each case including a product display area, each of the plurality of cases including a cooling cartridge insertion slot attached to each individual case; and a plurality of case air vents, each case air vent extending from within the product display area of each case into each cooling cartridge insertion slot; wherein each cooling cartridge insertion slot is configured to removably receive a cooling cartridge, each cooling cartridge including a cartridge air vent which is configured to be coupled to the case air vent to allow the cooling cartridge to circulate cooled air into the product display area; and wherein each cavity is adapted to serve as a refrigerated unit upon insertion of the cooling cartridge into the cooling cartridge insertion slot, and wherein each cavity is adapted to serve as a dry goods cabinet upon removal of the cooling cartridge from the cooling cartridge insertion slot.
 24. The plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities of claim 23, wherein the cavities are configured to be self-standing.
 25. The plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities of claim 23, wherein the cavities are configured to be installable within one of a trimmed wall insertion or a customized kiosk.
 26. The plurality of multi-purpose retail display merchandising cavities of claim 23, wherein the cavities are configured to be installed in a computer-controlled, automated store outlet with customized trays, wiring, and a product detection system installed inside each product display area. 